The competition has begun, but the drama is really picking up now.
Paddle Battle
We kick off the episode heading straight into the daily challenge: Boat Swap. The game is essentially a puzzle where the players are the pieces. There are three boats on one side of the grid and three more on the other side. Teams need to move their boats from one side to the other with the limited space they have. On the Blue Team, all six players have to compete, but the other two teams have two people to guide their players — and on the Gray Team, team captain Nurys is calling the shots. She claims she figured out the puzzle, but midway through, she makes a small mistake. While she quickly corrects this, it’s a neck-and-neck finish between Orange and Grey, and the Orange Team takes the win. The Blue Team felt they did well, but ultimately, they came in dead last… AGAIN.
Secret Alliances and Defiances
The Orange Team victory puts Bananas and Deb in charge, and Bananas wants to take a swing at Chris, who sent him into the first Arena. Tori bites her tongue here because she wants to work with Chris, but everyone on the Blue Team has to start sweating because they’re all at risk. Brad feels he has history with Bananas, and Bananas should keep the veterans safe so they can work together — which lumps Nelson into that group. Little do they know, Bananas is friends with Josh. They’ve known each other for years outside the show, and this might be the alliance that rattles the blue squad.
Love On the Other Team
The romance between Josh and Adrienne is heating up. The two cuddle by the pool as most of the other competitors splash in the water behind them. Adrienne is optimistic that Bananas will keep Josh safe, but her motives might be slightly selfish. Josh leans in to kiss Adrienne, and there’s a clear cross-team showmance brewing.
Body Language and Bad Language
It’s Tori’s birthday, and she throws a mermaid-themed party. The cast is having fun, and Adrienne is flirting with Josh again. She gets up for a moment, and Nurys takes her seat to chat with Josh. This angers Adrienne, who confronts Josh, but he insists he was just talking to Nurys, nothing more. According to Justin, Josh only pursued Adrienne after Nurys rejected him pre-season. When Nurys catches wind of this drama the next morning, she decides to confront Adrienne, because she’s not going to let her name get dragged through the mud over a man she doesn’t want — especially one shorter than her. Nurys questions why Adrienne is talking shit, and Adrienne claims she could read the body language when Josh and Nurys were talking. Nurys tells Adrienne she can talk to whoever she wants, but nothing’s going on between her and Josh, so keep her name out of your mouth!
A Gray-Zone Decision
Before the Grey Team deliberates, Keanu asks Cassidy to vote for Chris as the team’s nominee. She doesn’t want to, because she’s close to Chris, even though she feels Chris is getting closer to Sydney. When the nomination rolls around, team captains Chris and Nurys put in Keanu. This forces a team vote between Chris and Leo, and it’s a split vote, giving the power to Nurys. She votes for Leo, which is a surprise to Leo, because she knows Chris would prioritize Sydney and Cassidy over Nurys.
Wreck on Wall
The cast arrives at the Arena, where they see a wall of numbers. Everyone views Johnny as a wildcard, but Johnny and Deb send in Keanu and Brad because Bananas thinks Nelson and Josh are more likely to “return the favor” in the future. The two competitors are playing Winning Numbers. TJ will randomly draw numbered balls, and when he yells “go,” the players need to climb the wall and hit their button above the number. The best out of 12 rounds wins. In the first heat, Brad appears faster, but he hits the number instead of his button. This gives Brad a deficit, but he eventually scores a point when he plays a little rougher. This makes the game more physical, and Keanu really starts to outpace Brad. Eventually, the score is 6-1, and Brad is one point away from losing. Brad gives it his all, but Keanu gets his seventh point, making it impossible for Brad to catch up, and Keanu wins his first elimination.
Captain Swap
Just like last episode, we end with new captains. Here are the picks:
Will and Izzy are the default options in the Orange Team.
Leo and Cassidy are the default options on the Grey Team.
Lete selects Nelson and Cara Maria (Brad, the other captain, was unable to choose).
The Blosers
The Blue Team is feeling wrecked — they’ve lost three Challenges in a row and three eliminations. They don’t know what to do, which is why Lete selected two veterans as captains. The group tries to talk through their troubles, but Anna Leigh doesn’t speak up. She feels she knows her place on the team, and they don’t really respect her, so why try to change anything?
Stop Being Polite 